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Honest Opinion of EF 16
Raider:
In my opinion, EF has taken a big step away from what it used to be. This does not have to be a bad thing, it's just pretty different now. It's a gigantic, but somewhat anonymous party now. I hope adjusting the prices inside the hotel will get more people to stay in the public areas of the hotel instead of having to go into the city or getting privatly drunk in their rooms.
I really had a lot of fun this year, but I think I will miss the Ringberg. Almost everything on my mind has already been mentioned, so I will stick to the one thing that has annoyed me greatly.
The amout of people rummaging around the Big Blue Dance, taping the dancers to be the very first one to upload another video of people dancing on the con, seems to increase every year. This is annoying to me for two reasons:
1. This is (or at least used to be) a somewhat private event, meant for those people who sign up to actually visit the con. Sure, there are people taking pictures everywhere and I'm pretty sure I can be found in one of the countless image archives somewhere. Nevertheless - I do not wish to end up on YouTube, since I try to keep my private information (yes, this includes my face as well) of the internet as much as possible. It actually spoils a lot of the fun for me if I get the constant feeling to be watched by the whole world -- not for a moment, but forever.
2. Like in any club, if you have 30 people dancing and 60 people standing around and watching, it takes away a lot of the energy from the dancefloor. I think it's fine to stand at the side to have a drink, talk with your friends or just relax after getting all sweaty. Yet it is not OK to run around the dancefloor for an hour in circles, shoving your camera in everyones face. It's damn annoying, go away.
Regarding the tap water being charged for:
I had no problems getting free tap water for friends and myself multiple times during the dance. Seems to be luck, though.
MOW:
--- Quote from: gaz_a on 07.09.2010, 23:23:12 ---
--- Quote from: SouthPaw on 07.09.2010, 09:17:24 ---Keycards: Didn't have an issue myself, but anyone who did needs to remember to get ALL of the cards for their room recoded at the same time, or you'll just keep locking each other out.
--- End quote ---
I had to have mine redone four or five times, a friend managed to get theirs written onto a standard hotel keycard but the desk staff refused to do that for me. My roommate's continued working throughout. (I will add that the card was never let anywhere near anything that could wipe it)
--- End quote ---
Mine had to be rewritten three times. Apparently it got wiped by the camera. After I stopped wearing the badge around my neck as well as the camera, I had no more problems.
--- Quote ---The only downside is that it was quite noisy, the sound from the dances carried through the building, it was louder IN the rooms.
--- End quote ---
That was also the case in the Ringberg if your room happened to be on the wrong side (towards the convention space).
My room was in the east wing facing away from the stage area and I have to say it was VERY quiet for being in the middle of the city and all, even quieter than here at home.
James The Dog:
I did enjoy the majority of the con, and don't really think I can say much that hasn't already been said, just a couple of minor things to get off my chest.
The prices. Obviously nothing the con could do about it, but as has been said, they were ridiculous, even by 4 star hotel standards. 2.90 for a tiny 200ml bottle of coke- when I can go to the supermarket and get a 1.5 litre bottle for 1.25, it's just not worth it at all. I'd also been under the impression from people who have attended in the past that the BBQ was included with the con, but we found out it was something like 9 euros for a burger, which is stupidly expensive, so we went to Pizza Hut and got a pizza and a large drink for less. I didn't actually buy anything from the hotel at all. The problem with that is it means I have to go up to my room every time I want a drink (and get stuck in the lift queue) and go out whenever I wanted a meal- you can't just sit around in the lobby or bar with friends.
And the other thing was the "yiffy guide to safe sex". This was the first thing I saw- it dropped out in front of me before I'd even opened the conbook. I don't have an issue with the idea of the leaflet itself, but the pictures on the top... no thanks. I don't want or need to see a picture of an erect cock to illustrate what the leaflet's trying to tell me. If I was going into the more adult areas of the art show, or looking in the porn artists folders in the dealers den I'd at least be prepared to see that sort of thing (and I know to avoid those things if I don't want to see it), but I certainly didn't expect to see it fall out of my conbook, so I wasn't prepared at all, and was actually quite shocked. I'm personally not comfortable with that sort of art, and even if I was, I just don't feel it's appropriate in that context- it's precisely the sort of thing people will leave on show in their rooms (meaning the cleaners likely saw loads of them) and I saw a few floating around the lobby too (where other hotel staff and members of the public could see it)- it's precisely the sort of thing which gives off a bad impression of the convention and our fandom. One of my friends, who was staying in another hotel, says he tore his up and threw it away to make sure the cleaners didn't see it, because he was quite horrified at the idea of them finding it, and I can only agree with him.
Apart from these things, I did have a good time and will hopefully be coming back next year.
Franni:
I can just say that this EF was the last one for me if prices are same or higher for EF 17. I think **** Hotel is unnecessary luxury for such con. EF has become something which is almost unbearable for me. i don't want to speak about prices in lobby etc. It was more likely scary. 4,50 Euros for beer, which tastes like bitter water...WTF? enough said.
there were longer delays than I had experienced in Ringberg hotel. Sorry but if artists must wait for their money at 1 AM, it's pretty annoying then...my mate could describe details.
And The fact that there were only about 850 people accommodated in hotel, which was designed for 1200, means just it was wrong choice. I miss good old Ringberg
I won't even consider my attendance at EF 17 until there is interesting theme such as Siberia, Japan or 60s / Hippies
Raider:
--- Quote from: James The Dog on 07.09.2010, 23:49:54 ---And the other thing was the "yiffy guide to safe sex". This was the first thing I saw- it dropped out in front of me before I'd even opened the conbook. I don't have an issue with the idea of the leaflet itself, but the pictures on the top... no thanks. I don't want or need to see a picture of an erect cock to illustrate what the leaflet's trying to tell me. [...]
--- End quote ---
I have to agree with you there. Maybe it is time to part with the tradition to put this leaflet in the conbook.
In the past years, where EF has been held at somewhat remote locations with few "regular" hotel guests and far less media interest, it was OK. It always seemed to me to be a little tongue-in-cheek, like a friendly little "Yeah, you may have sex here as well, we know... don't do anything stupid, mkay?"-reminder. Now, with the new location right in the middle of a big city, with media and regular guests running around the hotel, it seems... well, it seems to be a stupid thing to do. Media relations has been working hard - and successfully - to get the media to portray the fandom as a somewhat strange, but funny and friendly bunch. Now imagine someone finding the leaflet in the lobby.
In the Dealers Den, there was a sign to not let certain business cards fly around the hotel. This was perfectly reasonable -- and you're putting a leaflet containing porn into the conbook, where it falls out right in the lobby?
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